Automatic train pipe connecter



Dec; 6, 1938. J. ROBINSON 2,138,384

AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE CONNECTER Original Filed Nov. 26, 1934 s Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Dec. 6, 1938. J. ROBINSON AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE CONNECTER Original Filed Nov. 26, 1934 KSheets-Sheet 2 I ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 6, 1938. J; ROBINSON AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE CONNECTER Original Filed Nov. 26, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTO Patented Dec. 6, 1938 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

AU'I'OMA'IIC TRAIN PIPE GONNECTER Joseph Robinson, New York, N. Y., assignor of one-half to Roy M. Wolvin Application November 26, 1934, Serial No. 754,889 Renewed March 14, 1938 13 Claims. (Cl. 285-58) This invention relates to improved gathering flcation of the coupling head of my improved means for automatic train pipe connecters. connecter, and

Among the objects is to provide a connecter hav- Figure 7 is a sectional side View on the line ing a much greater vertical gathering range from 'I'! of F e points below its center line than from points My improved connecter is supported from the 5 above its center line, in which the coupling head underside of the car coupler (not Shown) n a y is arranged toprevent fouling at the top thereof convenient way, as y bolting e brac t A to with the inter-engaging coupling parts of the the lug B- The bracket Passes w r y higher connecter head as it is drawn down to tween the spaced straps i of the yoke C and is meet the lower head in the act of coupling under embraced by a rearwardly extending tie rod D by 10 extreme vertical variation, and in which the whi h the connecter s pivotally mounted on the supporting means of the connecter is constructed bracket for universal movement. Above and beto prevent undue rotation of the connecter heads low t pivotal point of the tie rod on the bracket when coupling at unusual angles and displace- I provide laterally extending lugs p j c ments. In the present invention this latter fea- 2 and 3 Which are p c y integral With t e 15 ture is particularly important for the reason that bracket These gs are engaged by fla Webs under many conditions the inter-engagement of Which J' n the flange 6 and e S p the guiding means is entirely on one side of the The pp W is culVed t0 e radius t ou longitudinal center line of the connecter. When which the y C mOVeS When it is lifted this engagement occurs under extreme displacetically about its pivot on the bracket in t e act ments the tendency is to rotate one of the guidof coupling. To facilitate this vertical moveing devices downward and the other upward, ment the flange 5 is shortened below the center Unless this is prevented the connecters will not line of the Y and lengthened ove the center couple. line as shown at 1 and 8 respectively. Propor- In carrying out the object of my invention I tichihg the hangs in this y lessens e c- 5 employ an improved coupling head having what sistance of the buffer spring E to upward movemay be characterized as a thi d guiding prong or ment of the coupling head whilst increasing such horn. In one embodiment of my invention t resistance to downward movement, the arrangehorn lies in substantially the plane of the cou- ,mcht being preferably such as to balance these pling face of the connecter h and another forces in a way that best meets the requirements embodiment it xte d forwardl and down of service. The buffer spring E surrounds the wardly and flares laterally from such plane. A tie rod D and is seated at one end against the further advantage derived from my improvement back of the flange 6 and at the other end it is that by arranging t majo portion of the rests upon an adjustable abutment or nut F. vertical gathering range of the connecter below Preferably the buffer spring has an outside di- 35 its horizontal center line, the clearance between ameter which, in relation to the length of the the top of the connecter head and the bottom of spring: is such as Wm prevent buckling This is the car coupler is materially improved. This important for the reason that if the spring E advantage i emphasized when t Vertical buckles when the'connecters couple it will draw 40 macements between car Couplers is great one or the other of the straps I against the per- 40 In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of fomted head 9 of the tie rod causing Wear- It my improved connecter; will be noted that the webs 45 engage the lugs Figure 2 is a Sectional plan View of the coupling 23 at a considerable lateral distance from each head thereof and a part of the supporting yoke; other The Purpose of .fihis 15 to prevent 1n co- Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional front view on operzimon Wlth the radms of Web unflue the line of Figure 1 but with the top of rotation of the connecter about 1ts longitud nal the bracket A broken away, axis when coupling under the extreme cond tions Figure 4 is a face View of a d heretofore mentioned. Considerable rotation is y 1mm (We couplmg permitted, however, while the connecters are couhead; pled.

Flsure 1S sectmsal elevatlPn on the line The rear bearing face ll! of the bracket is wide 0f j 4 showmg a modlfisaticnin the and is disposed at an angle to the vertical plane ns u of the top Portion cf the coupling to throw the complementarily wide flange 6 back head; at its top and tilt the yoke 6 and the coupling Figure 6 is a front elevation of a further modihead G upward and thus carry the top I l of the 55 head rearwardly out of the path of the guide wall l2 of a higher head in the downward movement of the latter when coupling under conditions of vertical disalignment. In Figure 5 this clearance is obtained by tilting the top of the funnel l4 rearwardly as at H a instead of tilting the whole coupling head G and the yoke C as in Figure 1. It may also be secured by flattening the flare of the funnel above the seat l5.

As here disclosed my improved coupling head is of the ball and funnel type and includes what may be described as three guiding parts, namely, the short hollow ball member l2, the walls of the shallow funnel I 3 that are spaced around the annular bearing or seat 55 in the apex of the funnel, and that portion iii of the lower part of the funnel which extends from the vicinity of the seat Hi to or beyond the bottom lSa of the head G. The head is suitably mounted, as by pressing, on the forward erflarged hollow end ll of the yoke C, with the ball member 52 disposed on one side of the longitudinal center line of the connecter and the funnel member M disposed on the opposite side thereof. A suitable laterally curved fluid conduit I8 is removably mounted, as by a plunger pin 19, in the hollow end of the yoke C and carries a gasket 26 disposed normally in approximately the plane of the coupling face 2| of the head G. The usual train pipe hose 22 is connected to the conduit in the usual way. In certain types of car coupler slip-bys, the funnel member [4 engages the gasket 29 and drags or swipes across its face as it moves out of the slipby. To prevent damage to the gasket at that time I curve the edges of the funnel rearwardly as at 23.

In the coupling head shown in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5 the portion l6 hereinbefore described ends in the plane of the coupling face of the head, whilst in the modified form illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 this portion is continued to form a pronounced third guiding member H, that projects forwardly and downwardly of said coupling face and flares laterally a considerable distance from the vertical center line of the connecter head G. This extension, or prong, is provided with slotsor ways 24 which serve the double purpose of assisting to free the prong from such foreign substances as snow and ice, and of providing guideways or paths for the ball I2 to ride along when the connecters meet under conditions of excessive vertical variation. Without these ways the ball sometimes tends to slide laterally off the prong H under these conditions, particularly if the coupling is being made on a curve. The seat l5 comprises a plurality of lugs 25 spaced an equal distance apart with substantial openings 25 between them to also allow the free exit of foreign substance such as snow and ice. These lugs are wedge shaped in cross section narrowing toward the front to provide narrow machined surfaces 27 for engaging the machined face of the ball I2. The reduced width of these surfaces constitute further protection against the interference of snow or ice with the proper seating of these engaging parts. If desired the hollow ball member l2 and these lugs maybe hardened to minimize Wear.

The distance between the seat or bearing I and the center of the guiding ball l2, and the distance from the center of the seat E5 to the top of the funnel I4, should, of course, be such as to best adapt the coupling head to the various requirements of the service in which it isto be used. Where the lateral displacement or angling of the couplers is not great, even though the vertical displacement thereof is extreme, the distance be tween the centers of the ball and the seat may be as little as but if lateral displacements or angling, in combination with vertical displacements, are also great it may be advisable to increase this dimension and the distance from the center of the seat It: to the top of the funnel. In the interest of compactness it is preferable, however, to hold these dimensions down as much as practicable. To facilitate this the prong H is flared laterally, as shown in Figure 6, to cause it,

in cooperation with the similar prong on the opposing connecter head, to guide mating coupling heads laterally to assist the balls [2 into their seats when the car couplers are displaced horizon tally. The extent of the lateral gathering range of the prong H may be increased or decreased as conditions suggest, and the direction of its flare may be either as shown in solid lines in Figure 6 or the prongs may be moved over to the opposite side of the vertical center line of the head and flared in the opposite direction as shown at 28 in dotted lines in that figure.

In assembling the parts of my improved connecter the buffer spring E should be compressed sufiiciently to force the wide flange ii firmly against the complementarily wide rear face of the bracket A and to hold the yoke C and the coupling head G yieldingly but securely in the normal uncoupled position shown in Figure 1. The projection of the coupling face of the connecter in front of the pulling face of the car coupler should be such as to carry the flange 6, when the connectors couple, away from the back of the bracket A far enough to permit coupled connecters to assume the most extreme conditions of disalignment without endangering the tightness of the joint between mated gaskets 20.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic train pipe connecter comprising in combination, a coupling head having a greater vertical gathering range from points below its horizontal center than from points above such center whereby increased gathering range in the coupling head is secured, and means to prevent undue rotation of said head about the longitudinal center line of the connecter when the ooengaging guiding parts of mating coupling heads greater vertical gathering range from points below its horizontal center than from points above such center whereby increased gathering range in the coupling head is secured, and means to prevent undue rotation of said head about the longitudinal center line of the connecter when the co-engaging guiding parts of mating coupling heads meet at points lying within the territory of said increased gathering range, said means including a yoke on the forward end of which said head is carried, said yoke having its sides spaced relatively widely apart, and a support so spanned by the yoke and having laterally projecting lugs coacting with the sides of the yoke above and below the latter at corresponding widely spaced points laterally of the lugs.

3. An automatic train pipe connecter comprising in combination, a coupling head having a greater vertical gathering range from points below its horizontal center than from pointsabove such center whereby increased gathering range prevent undue rotation of said head about the ing in combination, a coupling head having a greater vertical gathering range from points below its horizontal center than from points above such center whereby increasedgathering range in the coupling head is secured, and means to prevent undue rotation of said head about the longitudinal center line of the connecter when the co-engaging guiding parts of mating coupling heads meet at points lying within the territory of said increased gathering range, said means including a bracket having an opening in its side and a bearing face disposed at an acute angle to the vertical, a yoke connected to said head and extending rearwardly past said bracket and mounted in said opening, said yoke having a flange engageable with the bearing face of the bracket aforesaid and a spacing web curved complementarily to the arc in which said yoke is adapted to pivot vertically, and means whereby the yoke flange is maintained in engagement with the bearing face of the bracket to normally support the head in an upwardly inclined position when uncoupled, and the web is maintained in engagement with a wall of the opening in said bracket as mating connecters couple under conditions of vertical disalignment.

5. An automatic train pipe connecter comprising in combination, a coupling head having a greater vertical gathering range from points below its horizontal center than from points above such center whereby increased gathering range in the coupling head is secured, and means to prevent undue rotation of said head about the longitudinal center line of the connecter when the co-engaging guiding parts of mating coupling heads meet at points lying within the territory of said increased gathering range, said head including a forwardly extending guiding prong which lies on one side of the longitudinal center line of the connecter, a second guiding member lying on the opposite side of said center line and adapted to receive the prong of a mating head, and a third guiding device projecting downwardly from the bottom of said head for increasing the vertical gathering range of the latter in territories that normally would lie below and hence outside the gathering range of said-head.

6. An automatic train pipe connecter comprising in combination, a coupling head having a greater vertical gathering range from points below its horizontal center than from points above such center whereby increased gathering range in the coupling head is secured, and means to prevent undue rotation of said head about the longitudinal center line of the connecter when the co-engaging guiding parts of mating coupling heads meet at points lying within the territory of said increased gathering range, said head including a forwardly extending guiding prong which lies on one side of the longitudinal center line of the connecter, a second guiding member lying on the opposite sideof said center line and adapted to receive the prong of a mating head, and a third'guiding device projecting downwardly from-the bottom of said head for increasing the vertical gathering range of the latter in territories that normally would lie below and hence outside the gathering range of said head, said last mentioned guiding device being flared laterally of the vertical center line of said head to also increase the lateral gathering range of the head.

'7. An automatic train pipe connecter comprising in combination, a coupling head having a greater vertical gathering range from points below its horizontal center than from points above such center whereby increased gathering range in the coupling head is secured, and means to prevent undue rotation of said head about the icngitudinal center line of the connecter when the co-engaging guiding parts meet at points lying within the territory of said increased gathering range, said head including a forwardly extending guiding prong which lies on one side of the longitudinal center line of the connecter, a second guiding member lying on the opposite side of said center line and adapted to receive the prong of a companion coupling head, and a third guiding device projecting forwardly and downwardly from the bottom of said head, and flaring laterally with respect to the center line of the head, for increasing the vertical and lateral gathering ranges of the head in territories that otherwise would be outside the coupling range of said head.

8. A construction such as described in claim '7 in which said guiding device is provided with ways or paths on a part of its front face for piloting said guiding prong from extreme positions into the area of the normal coupling range of said head.

9. An automatic train pipe connecter comprising in combination, a coupling head having a greater vertical gathering range from points below its horizontal center than from points above such center whereby increased gathering range in the coupling head is secured, means to prevent undue rotation of said head about the longitudinal center line of the connecter when the co-engaging guiding parts of mating coupling heads meet at points lying within the territory of said increased gathering range, and means normally providing clearance between the top of the coupling head and the guiding parts of a higher mating coupling head when coupling under conditions of vertical disalignment within said territory.

10. An automatic train pipe connecter comprising in combination, a coupling head having a greater vertical gathering range from points below its horizontal center than from points above such center whereby increased gathering range in the coupling head is secured, means to prevent undue rotation of said head about the longitudinal center line of the connecter when the co-engaging guiding parts of mating coupling heads meet at points lying within the territory of said increased gathering range, and means for holding the top of said head rearwardly upwardly inclined out of the downward path of the guiding parts of a mating head when coupling within said territory.

11. An automatic train pipe connecter comprising in combination, a coupling head having a greater vertical gathering range from points below its horizontal center than from points above such center whereby increased gathering range in the coupling head is secured, and means to prevent undue rotation of said head about the longitudinal center line of the connecter when the co-engaging guiding parts of mating coupling heads meet at points lying within the territory of said increased gathering range, said means including a bracket having an opening in its side, a yoke connected to said head and extending rearwardly past said bracket and mounted in said opening, said yoke having a spacing web curved complementarily to the arc in which said yoke is adapted to pivot vertically whereby the web is maintained in engagement with a wall of the opening in said bracket as mating connecters couple under conditions of verticaldisalignment, a flange on the rear end of said yoke and having the major portion of its length disposed above the center line of the yoke, said flange bearing normally against the back of said bracket, and a spring for pressing said yoke forwardly in its bearing on said bracket with said flange normally pressed firmly but yieldingly against the bracket to yieldingly support said yoke and coupling head with greater resistance to downward movement than to upward movement.

12. An automatic train pipe coupling head! comprising in combination a-base, a plurality of vertically spaced forwardly extending guides connected with said base, the upper guide being disposed on one side of the vertical centerline of the base and the lower guide being disposed on the other side of such centerline and flaring downwardly from said base, a third guiding member lying above said lower guide and receding rearwardly therefrom, and a seat on said third guiding member to receive a part of said upper guide of a mating coupling head when opposing coupling heads couple.

13. An automatic train pipe connecter, comprising, in combination, a coupling head having a greater vertical gathering range from points below its horizontal center than from points above such center whereby increased gathering range in the coupling head is secured, and means for limiting rotation of the head upon engagement of mating coupling head parts within the vicinity of said increased gathering range.

JOSEPH ROBINSON. 

